Fun Friday Finds #6

Okay...who's ready for today's Fun Friday Finds?  I know I am.  I spent the whole week looking forward to today.  I lurve me some garage sales.

It was kind of slow again this week, I stopped at a few where I didn't buy one single thing.  But, I did eek out a few fun things.  So, I pushed the coffee table back (so I could have more room) and after I picked up the Matchbox car, mega block, and popcorn crumbs that were under there, I was able to take a few pictures for ya.

Total spent - $29

That's more than I normally would have spent on such a small amount of items, BUT... I wanted one of those items really badly but the crusty ol' broad who was selling it wouldn't budge on the price.  (More on that humorous story in a bit)

Great industrial style metal box - $1 

Cigar box - .50 

I'm keeping this.  I have a collection of them that I use for fun storage in my crafting area.

Set of 3 vintage license plates - $1

(also keeping)

Old metal gas can - $3

Very cool industrial metal bin - $3

As you can see on the right there, I started to clean it up a bit to show you that in this business you have to be able to see beneath the dust and grime and see the hidden potential.  This is such a popular color right now, I'm hoping that it'll help it sell well.

Set of 2 French style vintage towels - .50

And now we come to the piece that I really really wanted.

Todd Protectograph Check Writer (from the early 1900's) - $20

(Doesn't it remind you of an old steam locomotive?)

I have never seen anything like this before so at the time I bought it I had absolutely no idea of it's value.  I just knew it was unique, it was old, it was awesome, and I wanted it!  The lady who was selling it wouldn't budge on her $20 price tag.  I knew in my heart of hearts I would regret it if I passed it up, so I bit the bullet and paid the full $20. 

I came home and did some research, and they have a neat history.  It's probably from around 1910 or so.  It's value seems to be all over the place ranging anywhere from $10 - $100.  So, my $20 investment might not be as good as I had hoped for, BUT... I do not regret it one bit.  It needs cleaned up, but I love this piece and I'm glad I went for it.  I think maybe I'll hang on to it for awhile.

Okay, now for the funny story I promised.  If you're only here for the pictures, feel free to move on with the next thing on your "to do" list .  BUT, if you have an extra minute and wanna good laugh, stick around.

The lady that was holding this yard sale was something else, let me tell ya.  She was not afraid to tell you like it is.  While I was squeezing my way through her packed out garage, she got a phone call and spent the next 10 minutes yakking it up about her dead husband.

Apparently, he had just recently passed away after a 4 year battle with cancer and she was holding this sale to pay for the funeral.  Normally you'd think she'd be a heartbroken widow.  Uh.....not so much.  She proceeded to tell the person on the phone about how much of a drunk her husband was and how she had to hold this sale because the (insert a not-so-nice name) didn't have a life insurance policy and she was discovering tons of debt that he racked up that she never knew about.  She said, "I'm so mad I wish I could bring the (insert the not-so-nice name) back to life just so I could kill him!!"

She then went on to say that 4 days after he died the police showed up to arrest him for something or other.  She told them, "Well, you can take his can of ashes down to the station if it makes you feel any better."

Wait...there's more.

So she finally got off the phone and I started the negotiating process with her for my pile of stuff.  I don't know where it came from or why she told me this but she said (referring to the dead husband's ashes) "He's in this garage somewhere.  I told the kids to put him in the fridge with his last can of beer."

And this would be why I described her as a crusty ol' broad.  

Another reason I love garage sales.  You just never know what kind of people you'll meet.

                                              

Linking up to:

Saturday Nite Special - Funky Junk Interiors

Master Bath

I'm finally ready to share our master bathroom with you all.  I revealed just a bit of it a long time ago when I shared a little mini-makeover on the flower container, but I never showed the whole thing because there was one little project I wanted to complete first.

It only took me a whole year, but I finally managed to complete it and take a few more pictures.  If you look very closely you might be able to figure out what that little project was, taking into consideration that some of these pictures were taken last year and some from the other day.

Ok, so let's get to it.  Now remember, this is a rental home so my mantra is, "do the best you can with what you have."  This has been my battle cry since the dawn of time.  Or at least since I've been married anyways since every home we've ever lived in has been a rental.

The above picture is the view to the left as you walk in the door.  Double sinks with a humongo mirror.    I didn't bother to take any pictures of the shower, nothing exciting to see there, but you can see it tucked into the corner on the opposite wall.

The lovely weathered and chippy shutters came from a yard sale in Florida a few years ago, a steal at $3!

The wash room sign was a present from Hubby a few years back, I think it came from The Country Store of Geneva  if I remember right.  I found the little faucet handles at an antique store in NC, and I made the little flower arrangement (you can read more about that HERE).

The hand towel holders on each side of the sink were bought at a store in Florida called Bealls Outlet, also a few years ago.

Above the sink is the clock, from Walmart maybe?  Have also had that for a few years.

Below the sinks is plenty of storage and the perfect spot for a laundry basket.  I just have a basic plastic one in there for now, but I'd love to be able to replace it with something vintage.

Something along these lines would be fabulous.

(source)

To the right of the sink, and the view front and center when you walk in, is the great white throne.

A bicycle basket hung with S hooks serves as our magazine rack, and you can read the story behind the little garbage can here.

And this cute little box holds the relief spray.  (You know what I'm talking about, don't pretend you're innocent.)  I think the box came from Home Goods...a few years ago.

To the right of the throne is the corner shower stall, and then to the right of that we come to this corner.

The cabinet is also from Walmart...a few years ago...and was a makeover project I did long before I ever even knew blogs existed.  It used to be pure white.

Ok, so have you noticed a recurring theme in this room?  Everything in here is from "a few years ago." That's because I decorated our bathroom in this theme at our house in NC, which was about 7 years ago.  When we moved onto the next house it only had one bathroom that was full of bright aqua tile everywhere, so this stuff had to stay packed away.  But now that we have 2 bathrooms in this house, I was able to pull it all out of storage and use it again.

I tell you all of that to explain the curtain over the window.  It was actually the shower curtain and the curtain rings from the old bathroom.  I love them and didn't want them to go to waste just because they weren't needed as a shower curtain so I found a curtain rod at Goodwill for a couple of bucks, painted it Krylon Oil-Rubbed Bronze, and repurposed them as a regular curtain.  I'm thinking both things were Home Goods finds.

There you have it, a peek into another room in our home.

So, were you able to spot the newest little project?

                                                               

Linking up to:

Wow Us Wednesdays - Savvy Southern Style
Saturday Nite Special - Funky Junk Interiors
Sunny Simple Sunday - Sunny Simple Life

Fun Friday Finds #5

Well, it's a good thing I had a great week of garage sales last week 'cause there wasn't much of anything this week.  I think the heat forced everyone to say phooey on holding a sale and stay inside with a cold glass of lemonade and reruns of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.  Or maybe American Pickers.  Who can say for sure.

Anyways, out of only about 6 sales that we found I managed to find some goodies at 2 of them.

Total spent - $12

A great vintage rolling pin, made by Munising, in excellent condition - $1

I found this at a so called estate sale.   It wasn't really an estate sale, at least not the kind where everything in the house is for sale.  It was basically just a garage sale of some of the previous owner's stuff, but it was the kind of sale I love.  Nothing was organized, it was all just heaped up in bags and boxes, it was dirty and stinky, nothing was priced, etc.  Now, don't get me wrong, I prefer an organized sale with clean, clearly priced items, it just makes things easier.  BUT...I do love a sale like this on occasion because it usually means the person has no idea of the value of the "junk" they're disposing of, AND you just never know what you're going to uncover in all that mess.

The rolling pin is the perfect example.  I only saw the tip of the handle peeking out from under a pile and pulled out a piece of vintage perfection.  I asked her how much she wanted for it and she asked me how much I'd give for it.  I said $1 and she acted like that was more than she expected.  Rats, shoulda went with .25.  : )  Haha, I kid.  Sort of.

Neat old green jar - $1

At this same sale I found this old green jar.  Someone had apparently tried to spruce it up a bit with an ugly trying-to-be-pretty fake flower.

Ahhh, much better now, dontcha think?  It has no markings, and I have no idea of it's age or value, I just know it appealed to me and so I bought it.

I got the 4 vintage tablecloths at the same "estate" sale for .50 each.

I thought this checkered one would be a cute layering piece.

While pink, red, and aqua aren't really my personal style I still thought this one was gorgeous.

This one has a Scandinavian look to it.  It's embroidered on linen with a pretty lace edging.

Funny story - at this "estate" sale another lady walked up after I had my pile of goodies started.  She poked around a bit and took a few items up to start a pile of her own.  I heard her ask about the linens in my pile, but of course they were already spoken for.  

A few minutes later, and a few roads over I was at another sale where I found the metal picnic basket below.  When I went up to pay I spotted a pile of gorgeous vintage linens and inquired about them.  The lady said they were already spoken for and pointed to the person.  I looked over and spotted the same lady that had asked about my linens at the last sale.   Drat, she beat me.  I shouldn't have stopped at Mickey D's for that Cherry Berry Chiller.  : )

Vintage metal picnic basket - $8

Eight dollars is way more than this El Cheapo usually likes to spend on just one item, but I've been wanting one of these for my shop for quite awhile now so I "splurged."

So there ya have it, not much to show, but I love the few things that I did find.  

What about you, have you found anything fabulous or fun lately?

                                             

May We Never Forget

Happy Independence Day!

This little display is part of my summer time patriotic display on my porch.

May we never forget the reasons our Founding Fathers fought so hard for independence and always remember what this country is supposed to stand for.

I hope you have a great 4th of July!

                                            

Fun Friday Finds #4

Woohoo!  I was so excited to get back to my Friday yard sale shopping this morning after about 3 weeks of not being able to go.  And boy did I have a great day.  Here's an overview of everything I got.

Total spent was $30.50.

A great wooden toolbox for $2.

I love all the little cubbies and holders.  I plan to fix it up a bit and add it to the shop.

Radio Flyer 4 wheeled scooter/bike - $3.50

My kids are having fun with it right now, but eventually it'll be destined for the shop.

2 hanging buckets - $1.  

I bought these to keep.  I've been wanting some of these for a long time to put plants in and hang over the rungs of my old ladder, but I've never been able to find any.

Vintage portable filing box - .25 (shop)

Popcorn popper - .50 (keeping)

Coffee percolator - .25 (shop)

Pair of vintage Italian frames - $1 (shop)

Large activity/play rug - $1

I've been wanting one of these for my lil' guy for awhile now, but was reluctant to pay $40 for it.  Now I'm glad I didn't.

I forgot to include this in the first picture of everything.  A box of various maps found in a free box.

Large (one of the biggest I've seen) vintage suitcase - $5

This actually wasn't priced to sell.  It was filled with scraps of material that were for sale and the suitcase was barely visible, but I asked if they'd be interested in selling it and they said ok.  I've never seen one that opens at an angle like that, and it opens from the end, not from the front.  Pretty unique.

Ok, now the above picture was all purchased from one sale...for $15. 

Let's take a little closer look.

A box full of vintage baby shoes and clothing.

This box even has an original receipt from JC Penny.

Two small canning jars, 2 small ironstone platters, and a great old brush.

Some fun vintage kids books.

An old Charles Dickens book, and...I think my most exciting find of the day.  An antique German, Martin Luther, Bible with the Apocrypha, dated 1838.......for .10!!! 

I came home and did a bit of Ebay research and found a very similar one that sold for $235!  It's not just the value that's exciting to me, it's the history that's behind it and wondering where it's been, who owned it, wondering what are the stories that go along with it.

Ok, total shift from the Bible straight to Moonshine jugs, lol!  The large crock one was marked $5, and the smaller one .25.

I loved the smaller one because it has a corn cob stopper!  How neat is that?

And last but not least, from the same sale, an old shipping crate for $2.

I was VERY happy with my finds today and was practically doing a happy dance in the car.  My daughter kept asking me what was wrong.  : )

I hope you have a great weekend!

                                               

Linking up to:

Saturday Nite Special - Funky Junk Interiors